Social Navigation

Fantasy Was Reality For the Bears Defense in 2018 and Other Bullets

Have you ever wanted to buy something online so badly, only to see it in person and have a wave of second thoughts come crashing onto you? I have had my eyes on the Air Jordan XIII “Cap and Gown” since their recent release, but have been hesitant to pull the trigger and make the purchase.

But after seeing them in the flesh, I’m glad I didn’t hand over the cash to buy them yesterday. It’s not that I don’t like the shoes any more, but I didn’t like them as much upon seeing them with my own eyes as I thought I would. Maybe those feelings will chance when the price drops.

Shout out to Brett for landing on The Athletic’s Cubs podcast. I’m looking forward to hearing it when I get a chance. And shout out to those of you who asked when the BN Bears podcast is coming. It’s a fair question to ask, and one that has been on my mind. The best answer I can give is “I don’t know.” Sorry if that disappoints. I would be into doing one, to be sure. But I want it to be good. When it comes to new ventures, I always ask myself if I can give readers/listeners/consumers something they can’t get elsewhere. As soon as I can do that, I think we’ll have our BN Bears podcast. Until then, please hold tight.

I was a proud owner of the Bears defense last year:

If you owned the Bears defense last year – you owned the league's stingiest red-zone defense in terms of TDs allowed pic.twitter.com/4bT8VqLqNA

Yours truly has been guilty of over-valuing defenses in fantasy football, but I liked what I had with the Bears last season. That group scored points for me with sacks and turnovers, then made me feel good by winning games on the field. Any time you can feel good about a defense on your fantasy team, your squad is going to be in good shape. Tack on a return touchdown or two next year and I’ll feel even better. More points, please!

Nickel cornerback Buster Skrine is an important piece of the Bears’ defensive puzzle. If he can hold his own without giving up big plays early or committing penalties that keep drives alive, it will go a long way toward softening the blow of losing Bryce Callahan. But let’s not lose sight of sixth-round pick Duke Shelley and the potential he brings to the table. In a mailbag segment at the Bears’ official website, Larry Mayer shared a belief that Shelley could challenge Skrine for playing time during training camp and preseason. Winning the job won’t be easy, but if he can learn the defense and show he can hang, Shelley will be one of those rookies you can’t keep your eyes off.

Part of me would feel uneasy that a player the Bears gave a decent free agent contract to in the offseason lost out on a starting gig to a sixth-round rookie. Then again, I’m all for fielding the best 53-man roster possible – which means I want the best starting 11 on both sides of the ball. And if a standout rookie un-seats a seasoned veteran with his play, so be it. May the best man win!

During ⁦@seniorbowl⁩ selection process we reached out to numerous NFL teams and most projected Raymond in Rounds 3-4. Age and medical red flags caused him to slide but we’d be very surprised if Dax didn’t make ⁦⁦@ChicagoBears⁩ 53-man roster. https://t.co/5DDX8ZiUqB

Dax Raymond is one of those prospects who could make some teams scratch their heads while regretting not using a pick on him. That Nagy heard from teams that projected Raymond to be picked in the third or fourth rounds explains why the Bears made him a priority free agent. It’s like the Bears picked up an extra middle-round pick without actually having a selection.

I wonder if so many underclassmen entering the draft is what pushes guys who would have otherwise been drafted off the board and into free agency. If that’s the case, then teams with good scouts will always have a fighting chance at finding a diamond in the rough. The Bears have had a handful of UDFA standouts in recent years, so perhaps Raymond is next.

We often applaud GM Ryan Pace for his aggressiveness and creativity, especially when it comes to creating salary cap space to make moves. But as Matt Eurich (247 Sports) points out, the Bears will be paying at least eight players to not play for them this coming year. Cody Parkey and Dion Sims are the ex-Bears with the biggest contracts who have been let go, but the one that stings the most might be Jordan Morgan. The Bears drafted Morgan in the 5th round (147th pick) in the 2017 NFL Draft, but he never played a game for the team. That pick still stings because the team passed on Desmond King, who went to the Chargers with pick No. 151 and earned first-team All-Pro honors as a defensive back and return specialist. Two picks after King went off the board, the Bengals drafted kicker Jake Elliott, who has connected on 83.9 percent of his field goals during his two-year stint with the Eagles. an was a big part of their Super Bowl run. Missed opportunities to add impact talent still bother me, even if the Bears have done well in picking up late-round talents.

A post shared by Chicago Bears (@chicagobears) on May 16, 2019 at 12:21pm PDT

Who doesn’t love a good scrapbook?

Just got my first look at Chicago Bears Centennial Scrapbook, written by Don Pierson and me. More than 300 pages of the most important and fascinating events and people in the rich history of the Chicago Bears. Outstanding design by John Vieceli, great editing by Mark Vancil. pic.twitter.com/9JCJdqOsu3

Pernell McPhee was fun to watch when he was healthy, but he was never healthy enough while with the Bears. Here’s hoping he finds success in his return to Baltimore:

Pernell McPhee's NFL career comes full circle in returning to Ravens. When he left for the Bears, the Ravens replaced him by drafting Za'Darius Smith. When Smith left for the Packers, Baltimore brought back McPhee to replace Smith.

BN Swag:

Useful Links

Disclaimer

In addition to news, Bleacher Nation publishes both rumor and opinion, as well as information reported by other sources. Information on Bleacher Nation may contain errors or inaccuracies, though we try to avoid them. Links to content and the quotation of material from other news sources are not the responsibility of Bleacher Nation. Photos used are the property of Bleacher Nation, are used under license with Getty Images, are used with permission, are fair use, or are believed to be in the public domain. Legitimate requests to remove copyrighted photos not in the public domain will be honored promptly. Comments by third parties are neither sponsored or endorsed by Bleacher Nation.

Bleacher Nation Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Bleacher Nation is a private media site, and it is not affiliated in any way with Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the Chicago Cubs, or the Chicago Bears. None of MLB, the NFL, the Chicago Cubs, or the Chicago Bears have endorsed, supported, directed, or participated in the creation of the content at this site, or in the creation of the site itself. It's just a media site that happens to cover MLB, the NFL, the Chicago Cubs, and the Chicago Bears.

Bleacher Nation is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.